1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for optimizing the placement of graphical objects, e.g. advertisements (ads), topic tiles, or the like on a page, e.g. a webpage, so that an event associated with the objects is more likely to occur. Such an event would include the incidence of a user identifying, or clicking on the object with a pointing device.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet provides a fast, inexpensive, and convenient medium for information providers to make information available to users on a website. Information in such websites might include, for example, sports scores, movie reviews, daily news, stock quotations, and the like. While password protected pay-sites exist on the internet, websites can generally be accessed at no cost to the user. This presents a problem regarding revenues returned in relation to providing a website full of information. Some website providers are funded to distribute various information to the public, for example NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) or other such public agencies. Still other providers utilize their website as a commercial means in itself to sell various products, such as books or compact discs. Regardless of such external funding, the generation of revenue from a website is proving to be increasingly important, as there are costs inherent in creating, providing, and maintaining a website. Moreover, as Internet traffic continues to increase, the opportunities for the generation of revenue in association with those contacted sites also tends to increase.
In response to such concerns, website providers are increasing the amount of advertising space on their webpages in order to generate more revenues. The advertisements (or ads) appear as banners, blocks, or tiles on various portions on the webpage. Typically, an advertisement serves as a click-through point to sources of more information about that particular advertiser or topic. In other words, the advertisement exists as a graphical object which has a link to other information. The user typically chooses or identifies the object by clicking on it with a computer pointing device. The identification of the object invokes the link, and hence is often referred to as “click-through.”
As with newspapers and other such advertising mediums, factors such as the location and size of the ad on a webpage will affect the price charged. Ads appearing at the start of the webpage will usually command a higher price than ads appearing at the end. This is particularly true for ads which appear further down from the initial webpage screen (as limited by the size of the user's display device). Web browsers usually require the positive act of a user scrolling down a page in order to view an ad located further down from the top. A user who sifts through web pages based upon the initial material visible on the page often overlooks such lower placed ads. Ultimately, each advertiser wants to their ad to be seen, and to increase the amount of click-throughs, or viewing traffic, which visits its particular website or webpages as a result of a click-through on its ad.
Generally, most sites sell their advertising as a function of cost per thousand impressions, where an impression is counted as an instance of the ad appearing on a webpage. Ads can be randomly placed on a webpage, or advertisers might choose locations on the page. In the latter instance, advertisers might be required to spend considerable time, money, and resources deciding where to place their advertisements, with the hope and anticipation of their ad being noticed, read, and even acted upon by the user. For instance, ads directed to younger Internet users might be placed on websites related to young celebrities, pop culture, or modem music. The ad might need to be placed near the top of the webpage in order to attract attention to the ad. This might require a costly expenditure by the advertiser, and would carry with it no assurances that the ad will attract any significant click-through traffic. As a result, the advertiser might be dissuaded altogether from placing the ad on a particular website or webpage. For every such decision by an advertiser not to place an ad, the revenues for a website or webpage which depends upon such revenues will be adversely affected.
Yet another way of selling advertising on the Internet is by charging the advertiser a certain amount for each click-through that occurs on a particular ad (often referred to as cost-per-click, or CPC). Such pricing structures might ultimately attract more attention from advertisers because the advertiser will not be required to pay unless the ad actually attracts click-through traffic. However, this pricing scheme shifts the impetus for deciding optimum ad placement back to the website or webpage provider, as no revenue will be generated for the provider if the user never clicks upon an ad.
Accordingly, a method and system are needed in this field which will serve to increase the chance of an event occurring for an object which is presented on a page. In the Internet context, a method and system are needed which would increase the amount of click-through traffic on ads presented on a webpage, and thereby increase the revenue generated by a website provider which sells ads on that webpage.